A visit to Conor Fennessy Antiques & Design

Expose yourself…well, your business that is. Here’s a chance for the world to know about your antiques and collectibles business in San Francisco’s Bay Area. If you’d like to be introduced here, send a note to Bob Bragman.

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A friend of mine recently asked me to help him transport a piece of furniture to Conor Fennessy Antiques and Design, to place on consignment. The store is located in the city’s North Beach district. It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods. I had rarely gone there in recent years, probably because I thought it would be too hard to park. That’s not been the case though. I now frequently go to an art supply store on Columbus, and always find a place to park. To me, North Beach feels like quintessential San Francisco, with its ample sidewalk cafes and shops along Columbus Avenue. There’s a decidedly European atmosphere here. There are lots of great Italian restaurants and pastry shops. Grant Avenue has an interesting variety of shops, including the wonderful Aria antiques.

I had never been in Conor’s shop and was immediately taken by many of the items on display. There’s not a lot of clutter or knick knacks in the shop (not that I don’t love to dig through stuff). But, rather the shop has an eclectic assortment of larger, important looking pieces. One of the items I saw was a painted, cottage style dresser, with large lion head pulls. I’d have to guess that it dates from the mid-1800’s. He also has some free form, carved alabaster ceiling fixtures that were quite dramatic. I found the store’s owner to be friendly and eager to answer any questions. I asked him to briefly state what his passion or esthetic is. His response can be found here:

I’ve made a point of searching out and finding pieces that are not only unusual, but can be used in a new way in a modern interior. There is so much generic inventory out in the world, that I find people respond very well to a pieces that are not only beautifully made, but have a twist or a unique quality.

My experience as an interior designer has shown me what is needed and useful in a scheme. Pieces at Conor Fennessy Antiques & Design add texture and artful individuality to a room.

The online antiques marketplace,1stdibs.com provides a wonderful international venue for my pieces. I’m particulariy pleased with presenting pieces made or found in the San Francisco area. Be that a Bernard Maybeck piece of furniture, or a beautiful piece of Regional California Art.

Conor also makes some sculptural pieces that he calls San Francisco Terrain

San Francisco Terrain is a 10″ x 10″ gypsum tile depicting the topography of the city limits. The piece has recently been released as a limited-edition which is sold at at the store, and is also exclusively available online at www.sanfranciscoterrain.com , in San Francisco. For more information, please call 415.673 0277 or e-mail.

The piece is a recognition of what makes the city unique. “When we walk through the city, it’s hard to fully perceive the raw beauty of the land,” says Fennessy. “The topography is a visceral experience of the shapes and contours that evolved over centuries. The city itself is a beauty that clings to the edge of the continent.”

“After receiving so much inspiration in San Francisco I began to wonder why that was,and I’ve come to believe that what is special about San Francisco is the actual site, the terrain.” – Conor Fennessy

Jack Hirschman, San Francisco Poet Laureate, calls the piece “an artistic celebration and paean to the beauty of the city.”

Looks like a painting,

Feels like a sculpture,

Reads like a map.

What It is

Is a 4th dimensional

Abstract Expressionist

sculpted painting

that reads like a space map.

If you try finding

the space key,

You’ll have to look

Here in the City Limits

of San Francisco, the City

we love.

-Jack Hirschman,

San Francisco Poet Laureate

In 2008, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol adopted the piece as a gift for visiting dignitaries.